Childhood nostalgia, tour antics, and nature’s beauty wrap their arms around the sonics and storytelling of Babe Rainbow’s newly released album Slipper imp and shakaerator. Paired with spiritual connectedness, joyful psychedelia and the lush surroundings of their homestead in Byron Bay, the album is coined their most “homegrown” project yet; a careless howl, a cool breeze, a coastal walk that settles itself within the folds of your psyche. 

In classic Babe Rainbow fashion of unorthodox recording environments, and carefree, organic creation, the album was recorded in a warehouse on an old banana farm, where the trio called on friend and producer Timon Martin and percussionist and flautist Miles Myjavec to sprinkle the project with stardust. Cracking the code of Slipper imp and shakaerator mainly laid in the essence of time and space, with band member Angus Dowling expressing the necessity for the early ideas “to flow, to grow”. 

“Keeping a loose feeling to the music is so important,” he said in a press release. “An idea develops together outside but it doesn't take its wings until you take it into the studio. We experiment with synths and drum machines and overdubs, and we love that, but we never wanna escape too far from the hippie power of the music. We're made of rainbow.”

The band’s auratic hues are made of technicolour – a vast palette that has painted its way across the world. The band have gone on to play significant stages across Europe and the US, garnering a loyal, dedicated global fan base that remain forever eager to taste the rainbow. For The Music, they take us through the ebbs and flows of Slipper imp and shakaerator.

“Dear Listener,

I Hope this finds you in fine fettle.

Blue Skies, Kool Breeze”

– Babe Rainbow

What is ashwagandha 

A few different grooves we had up the sleeve and welded together here. It was the first one of the ‘Slipper imp’ collection of jams, so I am glad that it made it to track 1. I had just bought a finger piano that an old mullum hippie living in the wilderness is making and selling at Son of Drum. It set a good mood. This one’s made from my favourite soft wood - hoop pine (monkey puzzle). Angus gave me his Bar Mediterraneo vinyl when I met him at You Beauty for a pint, the day before we went to record the bed for this. I sent him a text saying “What even is ashwagandha?” after, and then that’s what he was singing the next day.

LONG LIVE THE WILDERNESS

Was slashing the orchard and listening to an old voice recording from a day at Nowave called hash romp - I texted it to Angus and he was like “that one’s sick, how’d we forget that?”. Hash romp is what Elliot does when he’s looking for weed in the crowd, notably at our first gig in Rome. Down the line Timon put the o.g. piano track through Julian’s echo machine and the o.g. fuzzing chorus guitar stuck on the track as well. First thought best thought we thought. 

Angus set the mood straight and sweet, long live the wilderness. 

Makes me think of Thoreau’s Walden and a funny story someone told me about how he used to take his laundry back to his mum's house the whole time he was doing his life in the woods thing. 

Now and zen

Theme for this one is from a book we read to the kids. We are one!

It’s got a good “Circle of Life”, “Mufasa” vibe … world full of miracles - in a universe that we share. Be kind and bless everything you see. It also sounds nice on the 12 string Ibenez. 

Sunday

We Wrote this song on a Sunday which is the only reason it’s called Sunday. I love the arpeggio slowly dropping down in tempo at the start then the beat kicks in and it’s ‘thanks for cruising’. It’s like a recent-ish painting of Elliot’s that’s of us in the cockpit of a UFO coming down on earth. I reckon this song goes well with that funny scene.

There’s a cool bridge section that was actually a demo for another song but just accidentally worked perfectly. It’s the moment when you realise you’re home.  The garden is open. Totally green guarantee.

I think it was pretty difficult to mix because we threw a lot into it. I can’t wait to be playing it live.

Apollonia

Our friend Noda leant his nylon while we were on Sifnos after the last European tour. Wrote this song on that after he delivered it in Apollonia on his scooter. We had a little hatchback and crammed so many of us into it and were cruising round the island to the different tavernas and beaches and the medieval scenes are so energising for the mind. Recorded Julian’s Juno with the nylon, I reckon it’s a tasty combo. Our deadly friend Strath has some beautiful footage of a manta ray he followed for 5 minutes in sparkling clear sunshine that pairs perfectly with it. 

Like cleopatra 

When Tams cow’s dried themselves up, and we had to wait for Mary to have her calf to have the fresh milk, thus we were buying Cleopatras bath milk. This might explain the theme. Drink deep or taste not.

This one is hopefully the embodiment of the natural spring outside Julian’s studio. We all seemed to congregate there when the sun was in zenith early into a days sessions. A sweet spot to enjoy the nature sprites and spirits. Why is everything so nice.

We found Cleopatra and she kindly sung on this track. Camille has a definite ancient Egyptian aristocrat air to her coolness. 

Cheers to the rhythm of life.

When the milk flows featuring Stu Mackenzie

I remember the genesis of this one evening in the red band shed by the garden. We looped Magic Myjavec’s bongos and got a fast beat going on the drum machine. There’s nylon and electric guitar and synth weaving in and out, throughout . 

Todd booked Angus and I first class tickets on Air France from Paris to Athens at the end of the last European tour (I think it was cheapest option). We went to meet our families who were waiting in Athens. We sat in the second row and got some real fancy plane food. We were drinking champagne and loving the pilots banter and recorded it to sample in this song. 

Then Sir Stu Mackenzie whipped out the vocoder on his tour bus. I almost had to lay down after I heard it. When the milk flows. More ethereal

Milk talk, and taking us to the beginning of our Greek odyssey.  As Amalthea’s milk saved Zeus when his mother hid him from his father In a cave, the islands were about to heal us, weary and worn out from tour. Haha.

Mt dub featuring Stu Mackenzie

Then we arrive on the island to the dazzling rocks and underwater rainforests. We are welcomed to the golden age. Can’t go wrong with some uplifting dub and orpheus on vocoder making the sun rise.

I was thinking today of the beauty and ease of propagation. This is just a very simple two chord vamp that grew from every node and was incredibly fun to make.

Aquarium cowgirl

I thought it was Aquarian cowgirl until the very end.

This one came together quickly it basically wrote itself. I feel like it’s got some flavour from the first EP in it. There a galloping bass line breakdown which is awesome and hilarious. I heard it is Michelle’s favourite which makes me love it even more.

Rainbows end featuring Camille Jansen

Holy shit, when Timon threw down the Pages sample that starts this track it was a sweet moment. Here we have cousin Camille channeling the nature sprites. Do humans fully accept natures beauty?

This is a real nice call and response with Angus and Camille’s vocals weaving. Makes me think of John Lennon and Blossom Dearie’s cute friendship and how they would write to each other. Blossom has a great song called Hey John … digging you digging me John.

re-ju-ven-ate 

This was written on the nylon 6string as well then played on electric guitar and piano with some chanting beneath Angus vocal. In the key of c major. A nice way to end the album. I was listening to this today with the wind in the orchard.

Slipper imp and shakaerator is out now via p(doom Records) on all streaming platforms.